National Archives Presents Free Film Screening and Panel discussions Related to New Exhibit -School House to White House-
Press Release · Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Washington, DC

National Archives Presents Free Film Screening and Panel Discussions Related to New Exhibit “School House to White House”

Washington, DC…In June, the National Archives will present programs with topics ranging from Reagan Diaries, LBJ tapes and a special screening of the film Stagecoach, each program highlighting various aspects of U.S. Presidents’ lives. These special presentations Inspired by the new multi-media exhibition “School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents.” The exhibition runs through January 1, 2008 in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery of the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. Exhibit Hall hours (through Labor Day) are 10 p.m. – 7 p.m. daily.

“School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents” is a family-friendly exhibition focusing on the early education of American Presidents from Herbert Hoover through George W. Bush and features documents and artifacts from the National Archives’ Presidential Libraries.

The programs are free and open to the public and will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater. For information on National Archives Public Programs, call (202) 357-5000, or view the Calendar of Events online. The William G. McGowan Theater is located in the National Archives Building on Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW, Washington, DC. Use the National Archives Building Special Events entrance on the corner of 7th Street and Constitution Avenue.

The Reagan Diaries--Wednesday, June 6, at 7 p.m.
Ronald Reagan’s personal diaries from his eight years as President have been brought together for the first time in one volume and edited by historian Douglas Brinkley. The Reagan Diaries reveal insights into the extraordinary, the historic, and the routine day-to-day events of Reagan’s Presidency. Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States, will moderate a panel consisting of Brinkley and Reagan aides and staffers who were eyewitnesses to this history: Edwin Meese, counselor to the President, cabinet member, and later Attorney General; Fred Ryan, former chief of staff to the President; Gary Walters, former head usher in the private residence; and Jim Kuhn, Reagan’s former personal assistant. Also joining the panel will be veteran reporter Sam Donaldson, who was chief White House correspondent for ABC News during the Reagan Presidency.

LBJ: Architect of American Ambition--Thursday, June 7, at 7 p.m.
Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter and author Nick Kotz will engage historian and author Randal Woods in a discussion on Woods’s latest work, LBJ: Architect of American Ambition. Thanks to the release of thousands of hours of LBJ’s White House tapes, along with the declassification of tens of thousands of documents and interviews with key Johnson aides, Woods’s LBJ brings crucial new evidence to bear on many key aspects of the man and the politician. Randall Woods is professor of history at the University of Arkansas and author of Fulbright: A Biography. Nick Kotz is the author of five books on American public policy including Judgment Days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Laws that Changed America.

Presidential Film Favorites—Stagecoach--Friday, June 15, at 11 a.m.
Repeat Screening: Saturday, June 16, at noon
John Wayne, a favorite actor of President Lyndon Johnson’s, stars in Stagecoach. Nominated for seven Academy Awards, this film charts the dramatic stagecoach journey of nine diverse passengers as they travel through Apache territory. While trying to avoid a run-in with Geronimo and his men, the occupants encounter plenty of thrills and excitement—riding into film history in the process. Directed by John Ford. (1939, 96 minutes)

I Wish I’d Been There--Wednesday, June 27, at 7 p.m.
What is the scene or incident in American history that you would like to have witnessed—and why? This is the thought-provoking question that author Byron Hollinshead posed to 20 American historians with the invitation to write a personal essay in return. The result is the book I Wish I’d Been There. Tonight, Hollinshead is joined by three of the historians who contributed to the book: Robert Remini, Historian of the U.S. House of Representatives; Jay Winik, senior scholar at the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs; and Robert Dallek, professor of history emeritus at UCLA—each of whom responded by describing significant events in American Presidential history.

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For Press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at (202) 357-5300.

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